Television Playhouse is an American anthology series that was broadcast live on NBC. The series aired from December 4, 1947 to April 11, 1948. The program was in cooperation with the National Theater and Academy, a federally sponsored theater group, and featured live performances of plays, some of which were by well-known authors. The first presentation was The Last of My Solid Gold Watchers by Tennessee Williams. Each episode was 30 minutes long, and featured actors and actresses who had not reached stardom. A wide variety of plays was presented on the program. Although short-lived, the "live play" format later became very popular during the early 1950s.